In college, I remember
the enormous impact one classmate had on our culture. His dominate and unyielding
personality allowed him to impose his negativity on those around him. With
surprising speed, his way became an acceptable norm.
That is precisely what
Donald Trump has done to our nation. Initially, he infected the GOP campaign
and analysts all said his reckless and vulgar behavior would change as the
campaign developed. Then it would change with the nomination. Well, certainly
we were told, it would change when he was elected. But the fact remains that
his behavior is constant and will not change. And, we the people are his
enablers.
Those of us who
supported Hillary Clinton have wondered aloud how the Republican Party would
treat her were she President and behaved in an identical fashion. But that
approach simply results in an irrational tirade.
However, suppose the
President were a Bush. Would Republicans act the same way? Would the party who
for generations blistered Democrats for being “soft on Communism” be so quick
to embrace a Bush Presidency that was rolling in Russian embraces? Would they
accept the daily untruths and the eye rolling exaggerations? Add to this the contradictory
messages, the absence of any system that resembles competency in management and
the willingness to transfer so much domestic policy development to the Congress.
The realty is that we
have granted Trump special treatment and assigned him very low standards
because we have yielded to his dominance. It has also become increasingly clear
that Trump lives in an alternative world. It is the world of rallies where he
is the adored commander of all. Every utterance is cheered and all ideas are
celebrated as the greatest ever. In that world, Trump possesses all truth and
goodness and those who question or disagree are liars and obstructionists.
The world we identify
as real is to Trump “fake” and, I suspect, he truly believes that. Tweeting is
Trump’s link between the two.
Welcome to the world of
government by chaos as predicted by Jeb Bush.
For those who regard
this as alarmist, I ask you to reflect on Trump’s behavior. Does it pass any
standard of normalcy?
There have been
episodes in American history where the Chief Executive was not fully able to properly
function. But in this age of nuclear weapons and instant decision-making can we
afford to simply relegate our concerns to hope?
There can be no doubt
that this is a highly sensitive area. But the reality is that it is now part of
personal discussions and, frequently, hinted at by the media. Our best
interests dictate that it be surfaced and treated in a mature and intelligent
fashion absent any partisan concern. This will require statesmanship. Two
Republican leaders come to my mind: Senator John McCain and former Governor
Mitt Romney.
At the same time,
current investigations must continue. However, the focus should be more sharply
aimed at Russia hacking and the extensive financial dealings of Trump and his
business and political associates as it relates to foreign powers. These areas
of inquiry go directly to issues affecting our national security and whether
that security is being jeopardized or compromised.
The Trump
administration has made it abundantly clear that any effort to open the doors
to Russian-Trump financial dealings will be met with adamant opposition. This
makes it all the more important for Republican leaders to step forward and
provide our nation with the same courageous and intelligent statesmanship as we
received during Watergate from GOP Senate Majority Leader, Howard Baker. He famously directed the Watergate Commission
to determine: “What did the president know and when did he know it.”
We must again rise to
the occasion.
